Wrapping and banding machine



Aug. 11, 1936. F. x. MALOCSAY WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE 8 Shets-Sheet1 Filed Feb. 3, 1932 INVENTOR ATTORNEY S 1936- F. x. MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 MM"lllll" mum Z4 ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1936. F. X. MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR ATTORNEY s mun i I I l 0 3 35 a. 3 mm \i P: 2N NM eNN 0.2. M n\3 7 Q2 U =8 \L I\ .I 7 "F 7 1 -EQWIFES m "mm T .0 mi. mm 38 u 3 E M nllllll l h 1 mm 5 8 r T Aug. 11, 1936. X MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1952 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 us sass4 INVE TOR 446 ATTORNEYS Aug-"J11, 1935- F. x. MALOCSAY ,7

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1952 8 sheets-sheet 5 5 has125 9g;

4* INVENTOR 7 BY 2 Z ATTORNEYS Aug. 11, 1936; F. x. MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 l Hum"H6 9 I T? I v wil V 8'1 879.7 I -{jaw l m5 137 J ATTORNEYS Aug. 11,1936. F. X. MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 52 us88 nine es Maia ATTORNEYS 1936- F. x. MALOCSAY 2,050,713

WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1932 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 w m g99E (QICZDIQIGEJ 2. I lNV NTOR g BY a ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 11, 1936WRAPPING AND BANDING MACHINE of New York Application February 3, 1932,Serial No. 590,571

9 Claims.

This invention relates generally to article wrapping and bandingmachines, and while broadly applicable, is particularly concerned withthe wrapping of cigars in cellophane paper and the banding of saidcigars.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a wrapping andbanding machine which will entirely wrap an article and secure a bandaround the wrapper, said wrapper being held about the article by meansof an interlocked seam, thereby entirely eliminating the use of heat oran adhesive.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which willautomatically deliver said article to the wrapping and banding position,and which will automatically discharge said article after it has beenwrapped and banded.

Another object of the invention is to produce a mechanism which wraps orenvelops cellophane or other enveloping material around a cigar andwhich neatly interlocks the seam edges of the wrapper and folds the endsof such wrapper automatically at high speed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for applying awrapper around a cigar, said wrapper being held in position about thecigar solely by means of an interlocking seam formed by the edges ofsaid wrapper.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for applying awrapper around a cigar, said wrapper being held in position about thecigar solely by means of an interlocking seam formed by the edges ofsaid wrapper, said interlocking seam formed parallel to the axis of thecigar, said folded wrapper having its ends extending beyond theextremity of the cigar creased and folded to maintain the wrapper inposition about the cigar and to complete the wrapping or sealingthereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination wrapping andbanding machine which can be easily and quickly adjusted to entirelywrap an article and discharge it without securing a band around saidarticle and wrapper, or, be so adjusted to discharge a banded butunwrapped article.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cigar handling mechanismwhich will place a wrapper and a band around a cigar in synchronousoperation with a wrapper and band feed mechanisms.

A further object of this invention is to provide a combination cigarwrapping and banding mechanism which will accommodate cigars of variousshapes and sizes and which will be particularly adapted for synchronouscooperation with any of the conventional cigar feeding devices, commonlyknown as hoppers.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cigar wrapping andbanding mechanism which will receive a wrapper and band placed one uponthe other, and which will fold said wrapper around the cigar and foldits edges in an interlocked seam, and then band it without moving saidcigar to perform both folding operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wholly coordinated andcombined assembly by which the foregoing objects are carried out in anovel, simple and improved manner and thereby increase the productionand reduce the cost of 15 wrapping and banding cigars.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wrapping and. handingmachine in which the entire operation is automatic and does not requirehuman handling of the articles and which thus greatly reduces the amountof manual labor or supervision required.

A further object of my invention is to provide and construct in a singleunit a combined wrapping and banding mechanism; that is, a machine whichwill at a certain definite and predetermined position perform the dualfunction of applying a wrapper and a band around a cigar, said wrapperbeing sealed by an interlocking fold without the employment of heat oran adhesive. In the present practice two independent mechanisms areutilized; one for the purpose of applying the band, like thatillustrated in my Patent No. 1,261,832, dated April 9, 1918, from whichthe cigars are conveyed to a wrapping mechanism where the wrapper isapplied, like that disclosed in my copending application filed November29, 1930, Serial No. 498,992. A cigar being a very brittle and fragilearticle, it can be easily crushed and its tobacco wrapper injured anddestroyed, and in practice it has been found that where two mechanismsare utilized there is a great breakage of cigars because of thetransportation from the banding mechanism to the wrapping mechanism.There is also a great wastage of bands and wrappers. These variousobjections have been overcome by my combined wrapping and bandingmechanism.

Another object, concurrent with the last named, is to provide amechanism whereby all the different operations required for thewrapping, sealing and banding of the cigar are performed in one spotwith the cigar held stationary. This has not only the advantage ofsparing the cigar from possible damage by transportation, but with arecalcitrant and somewhat resilient wrapping material, such asCellophane, an interlocking seam can be executed successfully only whenthe supplementary means of sealing the wrapper, i. e. the twisting anddoublingdown of the wrapper end extensions, as well as the additionalbelting by the surrounding band, are applied immediately after formingthe doubled seam without further delay by transportation or change ofgripping elements, so that the seam cannot unlock again. For this reasonthe so-called turret machines which wrap cigars or packagesprogressively in diiferent stations, although they can handle tin foilwrappers or common paper successfully, even with an interlocking joint,would not be satisfactory in the present case. In the present state ofthe art, where they handle Cellophane" wrappers, they usually employsimple lap joints or seal the seams by heat or paste.

Other more specific objects and advantages of the apparatus will appearas the nature of the improvements are better understood, the inventionconsisting substantially in the novel arrangement and corelation ofinstrumentalities herein fully described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters .are used todescribe corresponding parts throughout the several views and thenfinally pointed out and specifically defined and indicated in theappended claims.

The disclosure made the basis of exemplifying the present inventiveconcept suggests a practical embodiment thereof, but the invention isnot to be restricted to the exact details of this disclosure, and thelatter, therefore is tube understood from an illustrative, rather than arestrictive standpoint. It will be understood that the various featuresof the invention may be separately applicable despite their cooperationherein shown.

In this specification no detailed description of the operation of thewrapper and band feed mechanisms will be made as those mechanisms do notform a specifically claimed part of the present patent application, andno detailed de scription of the operation of the cigar feed or hoppermechanism will be made, as this type of mechanism is fully described andillustrated in my Patent No. 1,653,641, dated December 27th, 1927, andin my applications, Serial Number 492,437, filed October 31, 1930, onCigar banding machines; Serial Number 519,347, filed March 2, 1931, onCigar handling machines; and Serial Number 526,788, filed April 1, 1931,on Cigar machines.

In the embodiment of'the invention as herein disclosed there is provideda table, upon the top of which the cigars are fed from a hopper which isnot shown in the drawings, but which would be located at the left handside of Fig. 1 and operated in a synchronous manner with the wrapping,interlocking seam folding and banding operation. The cigars move with anintermittent movement. The rest periods between the forward movements ofthe cigars being equal to one complete cycle of the wrapping, foldingand banding mechanism. The cigars are guided upward between adjustableguides by a plunger. This upward movement causes the wrapper and band tobe wrapped around three sides of the cigar with the aid of certainautomatically adjusted side plates. The cigar is held in this positionwhile the wrapper and band are folded around the fourth side of thecigar. At the completion of this operation, the ends of the folded tothat type of wrapper for a cigar upon which wrapper which extend beyondthe ends of the cigars are folded together and bent downward whichcompletes the wrapping and handing of the cigar. All of the parts whichcomprise this wrapping, interlocking fold and banding mech- 5 anism aredriven directly or indirectly from a common drive mechanism which is notshown in the drawings, as it forms no part of this invention, and thisdrive mechanism also serves to drive the cigar, wrapper and band feedmechanism with which it will cooperate.

The combination wrapping, interlocking fold and banding mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings will function in the samemanner as described hereinafter whether it is 15 to be utilized purelyas a cigar wrapping mechanism or a banding mechanism. The wrapper andband feed mechanisms, although not shown, will be located directlybehind the wrapping, interlocking fold and banding mechanism; and in 20such order that the band will be placed upon the wrapper. Thesemechanisms, as stated above, are driven from a common source, and it isat this point that a simple and effective clutch or transmission islocated to transmit the power 26 to these mechanisms. By manipulation ofthis clutch or transmission the wrapper feed mechanism can be quicklythrown out of operation and a banded and unwrapped cigar will beejected, and likewise, by throwing the band feed mechanism out ofoperation, a wrapped but unbanded cigar will be ejected. With theseadjustments in mind, it is readily seen that should it be so desired,cigars could first be banded and then fed through the mechanism a secondtime to be wrapped. This method of operation places the band directlyaround the cigar instead of around the wrapper. I also wish to state atthis time that this mechanism is also applicable 40 a facsimile of aband has been printed, said type of wrapper being fully described in mycopending application filed March 31st, 1931, Serial No. 526,632.

In connection with the features hereinafter specifically pointed out,and in addition to the many unique and improved structural combinations,the invention is also concerned with the specific mechanical means bywhich the various advantageous functions are achieved; said mechanicalmeans being combined to provide an automatic, simple, inexpensive,rugged and durable apparatus.

The inventive idea involved is capable of .re ceiving a variety ofmechanical expressions, one of which for the purpose of illustration isshown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a frontelevation, partly broken away, of my improved wrapping and bandingmechanism;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line- 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2illustrating the position of the wrapping, interlocking fold and bandingelements at the start of the wrapping and banding operation;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view illustrating 70 the position of thewrapping, interlocking fold and handing elements during the first stepof the wrapping and banding operation;

Fig. 6 is a similar view illustrating the completion of the firstwrapping and banding step. 75

Fig. 7 is a sectional side view taken on the line 'l-'l of Fig. 6; whichillustrates the position of the end folders with respect to the wrapperwhen it is in the position shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view illustrating the beginning of thesecond step of the wrapping operation which shows how the sides of thewrapper are folded around the bottom of the cigar by the seam foldersand illustrates the first step of the seam interlocking operation;

Fig. 9 is a similar view which illustrates the second step of the seaminterlocking operation;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 illustrating the third step of theseam interlocking operation;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail view which illustrates-more clearly therelative positions of the seam folders and the sides of the wrapperduring the first step of the seam interlocking operation as illustratedin Fig. 8;

Fig. 12 is a similar view illustrating the relative positions of theseam folders and the sides of the wrapper during the second step of theseam interlocking operation as illustrated in Fig. 9;

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Figs. 11 and 12 which illustrates the thirdstep' of the seam interlocking operation as illustrated in Fig. 10;

Fig. 14 is a plan view partly broken away illustrating part of theinterlocking seam folders;

Fig. 15 is a sectional side view taken on the line l5-I5 of Fig. 10which illustrates the posi tion of the lower end folders after thewrapper has been folded under the cigar and the seam interlocked asshown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 16 is a detail sectional view illustrating the completedinterlocked seam fold and the first part of the step of folding the endsof the band under the cigar;

Fig. 17 is a. similar view illustrating the completion of this bandingstep;

Fig. 18 is a sectional side view taken on the line Iii-I8 of Fig. 1'7illustrating the end folding of the wrapper;

Fig. 19 is a detail sectional view illustrating the position of theparts prior to the ejecting of the wrapped and banded cigar, and asecond cigar with its wrapper and band in position;

Fig. 20 is a side view illustrating the completely wrapped and bandedcigar; and

Fig. 21 is a bottom view of Fig. 20.

With particular reference toFigs. l, 2, and 3, numeral i represents atable upon which my wrapping, interlocking seam folding and bandingmechanism is mounted, and upon which the cigars 2 are moved toward saidmechanism from a cooperating hopper not shown, but which is also mountedupon the table. The cigars move forward with an intermittent movementfrom the hopper upon a conveyor; the surface speed of which is slightlygreater than is necessary to feed the cigars up to the wrapping andbanding position as shown in Fig. 1, and it is because of this slightlygreater surface speed that any space between the individual cigars isgradually eliminated, and the cigars kept in close contact with oneanother as they approach the wrapping, interlocking seam folding andbanding mechanism. A slight slippage between the cigars and the conveyorinsures their close contact and prevents jamming. The first cigar isbrought into contact with a centering plate 3 which protrudes upwardthrough the table and in the path of the cigars as shown in Fig. 1. Thiscentering plate 3 is linked to the centering plate 4 at its lowerextremities (not shown) in such a manher as to insure equal spread ofthese plates when the plunger 5 pushes the cigar upward between them asillustrated in Fig. 4. The centering plate 6 has the downwardlyextending legs 6 to which the plate 4 is linked, and which are farenough apart to allow the cigars to pass between them. The outwardlyextending flange I is integral with the plate 4 and acts as a guide.

Lying across the top edges of the centering plates 3 and 4 is the cigarwrapper 8 and the band 9. The outer ends of the wrapper and band aresupported by the supports Ill and II. Directly above the wrapper andband, and centrally located between the two centering plates is aplunger I2 having the presser feet, It and l2 extending outward from itscenter which is cut away to span the rod I3, which is clearlyillustrated in Fig. 2 and the end of the ejector finger I04 asillustrated in Figs. 1, 3, 1'7, and 19. The plunger i2 is slidablymounted in a guide comprised of the upwardly extending bracket l4 andthe retaining plates l5 which are held in position by the screws I6.Extending outward from sides of the plunger plate I! and located at itsuppermost extremity are the spring supporting pins l'l. (See Figs. 1, 2,and 3). Around the ends of these pins and in suitable grooves are hookedthe light coil springs l8, the lower ends of which are secured insuitable grooves in the ends of the anchor pins I9 which are carried inthe casting It. The purpose of these springs is to push the plungerdownward with just enough force to prevent the wrapper and band fromslipping when a cigar is pushed upward into the position as illustratedin Figs. 4, 5, and 6.

Located at the left hand side of the plunger 52 (Fig. 1) is the plate 20which is mounted upon the rod 2i slidably mounted in the bearings 22 and23 which are a part of the bracket i4, and the top surface of said plateis in sliding contact with the machined bottom surface 2 of the bracketit which prevents the plate from turning about the axis of itssupporting rod 2i. Integral with the rear surface of the plate 20 andlocated near its ends are the lugs 25 to which are hinged the connectinglinks 26 by means of the shouldered screws 27 (see Figs. 1 and 3). Theopposite ends of these links 26 are hinged to one side of the togglelevers 28 by the shouldered screws 29. The toggle levers are pinnedsecurely upon the shaft (iii mounted in the bearing 3!, integral with aportion of the bracket id. The shaft 39 extends beyond the rear togglelever as illustrated in Fig. 3, and upon this extension is secured thelever 32. Fastened to the end of this lever is the push rod 33 which ismoved up and down by a cam which is part of the band feed mechanism notshown in the drawings. Fastened to the extensions 34 of the togglelevers 28 are the connecting rods 35; the upper ends of which areconnected to the lever 36 secured upon the shaft 3?. The shaft 31 iscarried in the bearing 3d integral with the top of bracket M (Fig. 1)and has secured to its outer ends, the arms 39. Hinged to these arms bymeans of the screws iii are the connecting arms M of the bell crank 62.Integral with the center cf the bell crank Q2 are the lugs 63, betweenwhich is connected the link id by means of the pivot screw pin ii). Thelower end of link M is connected to the lever 416 by the pivot screw M.The lever 36 is mechanically connected to a cam, not shown, which ispart of the main drive mechanism. The bell crank 42 is'secured to top ofthe plate 48 by means of the shaft 48 and the bearing blocks 50. Hingedto the plate 48 are the connecting links 53. These links pass throughsuitable apertures 55 cut in the plate and are connected to the hingeblocks 5| by the screw pins 52. The other ends of the connecting links58 are connected to the toggle levers 28 by the screw pins 54. Thecombination of links 26 and 53, the toggles 28. links 35, arms 36,levers Y38 and bell crank 42 impart a parallel movement to the plates 28and 48 when the push rod 88 is actuated.

The rocker arm 56 is supported on the pin 51 mounted in the boss 58 ofthe bracket I4 (see Fig. l). Secured upon a rearwardly extending portionof the shaft 51 is the lever 58 to which is connected the push rod 68which extends downward and is mechanically connected to a cam, notshown, but which is part of the main drive mechanism. The upper end 6|of the rocker arm 56 has secured to it the flat spring 62; the purposeof which is to exert a pressure upon the plunger retaining pin 68,slidably mounted in the boss 64 of bracket I4 when the lower end of saidrocker arm is swung in a clockwise direction as illustrated in thosesteps of the wrapping and handing operation shown in Figs. 6, 8, and 9.This pressure against said pin 63 causes it to bear against the plungerI2 which holds it in position against the pull of the coil springs I8when the plunger 5 moves downward and away from the bottom of the cigar.

Hinged to the lower end of the rocker arm 56, by means of the pin 65 andthe lugs 66, is the band folding finger 61. This finger is held in itsnormal position as shown in the various views by the fiat spring 68pressing against the tongue 68 integral with said finger; said fiatspring being secured to the rocker arm 56. Suspended between twoprojections which form the front end of the finger 61 is the roller 10.and suspended upon the pin 65 and located between the lugs 66 is theroller 1|, the purpose of these rollers and the finger being fullydescribed hereinafter.

Driven into the upper end 6| of the rocker arm 56 is the anchor pin 12to which is hooked the light coil spring 18 (see Fig. 1). To the lowerend of this coil spring is hooked the fabric tape 14 which passes aroundthe roller 1| and between the side flanges of the finger 61 to the underside of the plunger foot I2 where it is anchored by pushing its rolledand sewed end into the slotted hole for that purpose, which is clearlyillustrated in Fig. 4. Also anchored in this same slotted hole 15 is therolled and sewed end of the fabric tape 14 which passes under theplunger foot and around a roller 16 carried in a cut-out portion in thebottom of the pressure plate 48. The upper end of this tape I4 ishookedto the coil spring 13 which issimilar to coil spring 13, the upper endof which is anchored to the hook 11 which is fastened in the bell crank42.

Secured to the plunger'plate I2 (see Fig. 1) is the bracket 18 havingthe pin 18 engaging in the slot 88 of the pusher link 8| which isconnected to the lever 82 by means of the pin 83. The lever 82 ispivotally connected to the bracket 84 which is fastened to the extensionof bracket I4. Also connected to the lever 82 is the push rod 85 whichis mechanically connected to a cam, not shown, which is a part of themain drive mechanism. The purpose of this push rod, lever link andaoaoms bracket is to move the plunger I2 upward to allow the completelywrapped and banded cigar to be easily removed as illustrated in Fig. 19.The lever 46 with its link 44 are provided to raise the plate 48 for thesame purpose, which is also illustrated in Fig. 19.

Slidably mounted in side frames 86 is the seam folder plate 81, which isapertured at 88 (see Figs. 3, 4, and 14) to allow for proper positioningof the finger 61 and to allow for free movement between the rocker arm56 and said plate when said plate is moved forward as illustrated inFigs. 8 and 9. A further object of said aperture 88 will be more fullydescribed hereinafter. Toward the rear of the seam folder plate 81 andcentrally located (see Fig. 3) is secured the gear rack 88 which engageswith the gear sector 88 arranged above the rack and pinned upon theshaft 8| mounted in the bearings 82 which are integral with the sideframes 86. Upon the rear end of the shaft 8| is secured the arm 83 towhich is connected the push rod 84. This rod is mechanically connectedto a cam which is not shown, but which is a part of the main drivemechanism of the machine. The collar 85 on shaft 8| prevents the shaftfrom sliding and thereby preventing the rack and gear sector i'romdisengaging. An up and down movement applied to the push rod 84 by itsoperating cam (not shown) causes the seam folder plate 81' to moveforward and backward in proper synchronization with the rest of themechanism. The forward or leading edge 81 of the seam folder plate 81 isbeveled downward and rounded at the point; the purpose of this bevelededge being more fully described hereinafter. Slidably mounted upon thetop surface of the seam folder plate 81 is the preliminary seam folderplate I H, the front edge of which extends beyond the beveled edge 81aof the plate 81. This preliminary seam folder plate 1 is made of thinspring steel and apertured as at 88* to correspond to the aperture 88 ofthe plate 81 (see Figs. 3, 4, and 14). The plate 1 is retained in properalignment by the two stop screws I I 8 and the combination anchor andguide screws II9, the shanks of which pass through the guide'slots I28cut in said plate I" (see Figs. 3 and 14) and are screwed into the plate81. The rear ends of the guide slots I28 are held against the stopscrews II 8 by the coil springs 2| which are-hooked at one end insuitable grooves machined in the necks of the anchor screws II8; theirother ends being hooked in grooves machined near the tops of the pinsI22 riveted to the preliminary folder plate II1. Also riveted to thepreliminary folder plate 1 at its center line and located near its rearedge is the pin I28, which is in line with the head of the stop screwI28 secured in the boss 22 integral with the under side of the bearing22; said stop screw being held in its adjusted position by the check-nutI60. The purpose of the coil springs I2I, the pin I28 and the stop screwI28 will be more fully described hereinafter.

Located opposite the seam folder plate 81 is the seam folder plate 86,which is slidably mounted in a suitable guide to allow it to be freelymoved forward and backward by a rack and gear sector (not shown) butwhich is similar to that described in connection with seam folder plate81, but in this instance the rack and gear sector is located underneaththe folder plate to allow the completely wrapped and banded cigars to beelected along its top surface as illustrated in Fig. 1. The top surfaceis slightly below the bottom surface of the preliminary folder plate H Ifor purposes more fully described hereinafter. The front of said seamfolder plate 96 is slotted as at 91, (see Figs. 2 and 3) and this slotis located directly opposite the openings 88 and 88a in the seam folderplate 81 and the preliminary folder plate H1. The width of the front ofsaid openings 88 and 88a, and the width of slot 91 is such, to allow theends of the greatest width of bands to be used to pass through. The rearof said slot 97 is beveled downward toward the back of the plate and itsedge rounded off as at H6. This edge folds the gummed end of the band 9under the cigar which is most clearly illustrated in Figs. 16 and 1'7.The front or leading edge of the plate 96 is beveled in the oppositedirection to that of the edge I I6, and on both sides of the slot 91.Secured to the bot tom of the plate 96 at its leading edge and on bothsides of the slot 91 are the hinged interlocking folders I23 and 123a.(Figs. 3, 4, and 14.) These hinged interlocking folders are held inposition by the screws I26. The free or folding blades of the hingedfolders are pressed downward against the stops I25 (Figs. 2, 4, l and14) which hold them in their normal positions by means-of the small coilsprings I28 and iZta; said springs being located between the hingeknuckles and retained in position by the pintle pins I21 and I211:-which pass through the center of their coils which is most clearlyillustrated in Fig. 14. It will also be seen in this figure that thepower of the coil springs is applied to the hinged folding blades bymeans of one end of said springs being anchored under that portion ofsaid hinged blades which are secured to the plate 96 and their otherends being brought to bear upon the top of the folder blades which iscommon practice. The operation and purpose of these hinged interlockingfolders will be more fully described hereinafter in the description ofthe operation of my machine.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 and more in particular to the latter two,it will be seen that there are two pairs of wrapper end folders. The topfolders are designated by the numerals 98 and 98a, and the lower foldersby the numerals 99 and 99a. The top folders 98 and 98a. are supported onthe rods I08, and the folders 99 and 99a are supported on the rods mi;all of said rods pass downward through the table I, below which, eachpair is actuated by its independent cam not shown in the drawings, butwhich will actuate them in a synchronous manner with the rest of themechanism as said cams are a part of the main drive mechanism. The endfolders are free to move up and down in slots "32' cut in the plate 68and the slots 33 cut in the plate 20 (see Figs. 2 and 3) The lower edgesof the top folders are beveled and grooved to correspond to a. bevel andbead on the top edges of the lower folders (see Fig. 15) the purpose ofwhich will be more fully described hereinafter.

When the cigars are completely wrapped and banded, they are ejected fromthe wrapping and handing position by the ejector finger Hill and therearward movement of the seam folder plate 98. The ejector fingerreceives its movement by a means of a combination of levers which areactuated by a cam forming part of the main drive which isnot shown intheir drawings. .As the wrapped and banded cigars are ejected they arebrought into position between the guides I05 which are secured to thechannels I06 (see Figs. 1 and 2). At the termination of the ejectingmovement of the finger I04 and the :jo'lder plate 96, the cigars areintermittently moved away from the wrapping and banding mechanism by thereciprocating members I08 (Figs. 1 and 3) which have integral with themthe downwardly extending prongs I09. These reciprocating members areconnected to the links I ill by pivot screws i I l, and said links areconnected to the carrying member H2, which is slidably mounted on theshaft 13, by the pivot screws H3. The reciprocating members I08 alsoreceive their motion fromthe main drive mechanism, and their operationwill be more fully described herein.

Having thus described my invention in detail, I will now describe itsoperation.

Referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the first cigar has been movedup into contact with the centering plate 3, and upon the plunger 5 by acooperating feed mechanism and the wrapper and band have been fed intoposition by cooperating wrapper and band feed mechanisms which are notshown. As the cycle of operation starts, the plunger 5 moves the cigarupward, and as the upper left hand edge of it touches the rounded cornerformed by the centering plate 4 and its flange I, this centering plate tis pushed toward the left. This movement causes the centering plate 3 tomove toward the right an equal distance due to their being connectedwith a parallel movement mechanism. As the plate 3 moves away, the cigarslides toward it due to the pressure exerted against the plate 4, andthis action continues until the distance between the two plates is equalto the width of the cigar. This action absolutely centers the cigars andautomatically takes care of any variation. As the plunger 5 continues tomove upward it pushes the top surface of the cigar into contact with thewrapper 8, the band 9 and the presser plunger feet I21; and i 21) asillustrated in Fig. 1. The continued movement of the plunger 5 causesthe cigar to force the presser plunger i2 upward against the tension ofthe coil springs i8 as illustrated in Fig. 5. This action causes thewrapper to be firmly gripped between the presser plunger feet and thetop of the cigar, and the band to be firmly gripped by the rough surfaceof the fabric tapes it and Ma secured in the bottom of presser plungerfoot l2a, to prevent its slipping on the smooth surface of the wrapper.Thus the wrapper and band will be held in perfect alignment on the cigaras the continued upward movement of the plunger 5 pushes them into thewrapping and banding position illustrated in Fig. 6. During thismovement the wrapper and band have been wrapped around three surfaces ofthe cigar as shown, the side plates 28 and 88 having forced themdownward tightly against the sides 'of the cigar, with the edges of thewrapper and the ends of the band resting against the beveled tops of thecentering plates 3 and 4, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. It will alsobe noted that the fabric tapes M and Ma have also been forced upwardwith the cigar, wrapper and band, thus insuring against any possibilityof the band slipping, and the extra amount of each tape required forthis part of the operation was drawn around the rollers 70, H, and 76,against the tension of their coil springs l3 and 13a which are providedpartly for this purpose and to keep the tapes taut during all stages ofthe operation. Referring again to Fig. 6 it will be seen that the bandfolding finger, shown in dot and dash lines, has been moved slightlytoward the left and this means that the rocker arm 58 has been swungslightly in a clockwise direction and due to this movement, the

. spring 62 secured to its upper end 64, has pressed against the plungerretaining pin 63 (Fig, 1)

which in turn is forced against the plate of the plunger l2 to hold theplunger in position against 5 the pull of its coil springs [8 when theplunger 6 starts to move downward prior to the action of the seaminterlocking folder plates 81 and 96 as illustrated in Fig. 8. I

This holding of the presser plunger in position does not entirelyprevent the cigar with its wrapper and band from being dislodged, butmerely helps by eliminating the pull of the springs l8; the actualgripping of the cigar, wrapper and its band being performed by the sideplates 20 and 48. They are moved toward one another, thereby creating aslight squeezing action against the sides of the cigar to overcome thepull of the coil springs 19 and 13a on the tapes I4 and 14arespectively. This squeezing action is applied by a slightcounterclockwise turning of their toggle levers 28. It might be well tomention at this time that the space between the side plates 20 and 48 intheir squeezing position is automatically adjusted to take care ofvarious widths of cigars; and this adjustment is made by a cooperatingband feed mechanism, which is not shown, when it is adjusted toaccommodate the length of band to be used. This adjustment istransferred to the toggle levers 28 by a mechanical connection from theband feed to the toggle push rods 33, see Fig. 3. If a long band is tobe used, the push rods 33 will be pulled downward which will spread theplates 20 and 48 farther apart, and if a short band is to be used, thepush rods will be moved upward, which would bring the plates closertogether. In addition to this adJustment at the band feed, there is alsoa cam action which will always force the push rods upward to create thesqueeze action between the plates at the proper time during the cycle ofoperation.

Referring now to Fig. 8 it will be seen that the interlocking seamfolding plates 81 and H1, and 96 have moved toward one another. Theseplates move toward one another at the same time as the plunger 5 movesdownward. The forward movement of the folding plate lll folds its sideof the wrapper up close to the bottom of the cigar while the foldingplate 96 allows its side of the wrapper to extend. downward at an angledue to its beveled leading edge and the clearance between its topsurface and the bottom of the cigar. While the folding plates are movingtoward one another both sides of the wrapper extend downward at anangle, the side being pushed forward by the plate 96 laying over theedges of the hinged interlocking blades I23 and l23a and the side of thewrapper being pushed forward by the plate I" extending downward over theedge of the plate and against the incoming edge of the hinged blades. Asthe two folding members continue to move toward each other, the side ofthe wrapper overhanging the end of the plate H'I shortens more quicklythan the side overhanging the hinged blades due to its being pushedflush against the bottom of the cigar, and as the folder plate Inreaches the position illustrated, its short overhanging edge passes overthe edge of the hinged blades I23 and i230. and forces the side of thewrapper carried forward by the plate 96, downward into the trough formedby the beveled edge and the hinged blades by means of its naturalspringiness; the sides of the wrapper taking -the positions illustratedin the figure referred to, and which is more clearly illustrated 75 inFig. 11, and the ends of the band taking their aosoms position in theslots 81 and 4 which are provided for this purpose, the slot-H4 beingprovided mostlyfor the purpose of preventing the gummed end of the bandbeing dragged over the top of the centering plate 9. -At the completion6 of this part of the forward movement of the two folder plates, theyboth remain idle. The plate 96 being held in this position by itsoperating mechanism which is not shown in the drawings but which hasalready been briefly de- ,10 scribed herein, and the plate H1 is held inits position by means of the pin I28, which is riveted to it, havingcome into contact with the head of the stop screw I29 which is providedfor that purpose. The folder plate 81 continues to move 15 forward andas it does, its beveled leading edge 81a contacts with the underside ofthe hinged folding blades I23 and I 23a, turning them in a clockwisedirection against the action of their coil spring I26 and I281: towardthe beveled edge of 20 r the folder plate 96 as illustrated in Fig. 9.This turning action of the hinged blades folds the edge of the wrapperlaying upon them upward and tightly against the edge extending downwardover the end of the folder plate III; which 25 is more clearlyillustrated in Fig. 12. This action completes the second step of theforming of the interlocked seam. When the folder plate 91 reaches theposition illustrated in Fig. 9, it immediately starts to go backward andthe folder 30 plate 96 moves forward at the same rate of speed untilthey reach the position illustrated in Fig. 10. This forward movement ofthe plate 96 forces the folded edges of the wrapper upward over the topof its beveled edge and against 35 the underside of the plate 1, whichpresses down and creases the folded edges. Due to the triple thicknessof the wrapper being forced between the two plates, the plate I" whichis made from very thin spring steel is forced to bend slightly upwardwhich is illustrated most clearly in Fig. 13, and it is this action thatcreases down the fold. The plate H1 is held in the position illustratedin Figs. 10 and 13 by the action of its coil springs |2I which areprovided for this purpose. This action completes the third step of theforming of the interlocked seam and during the operation illustrated inFigs. 9 and 10, the bottom end folders 99 and 99a have moved up to theposition illustrated in Fig. 15 in preparation to fold and crease theends of the wrapperwhich extend beyond the ends of the cigar. This viewalso clearly illustrates the position of the gummed end of the band inthe slot H4.

At this point in the cycle of operation, with the seam folders in theposition as shown in Fig. 10, the rocker arm 56 is moved in acounter-clockwise direetion until it has reached the positionillustrated in Fig. 16. This movement of the rocker arm releases thepressed plunger, but the downward pull of its springs i9 cannot dislodgethe partly wrapped and handed cigar because the side plates 20 and 48are still squeezing against it, and they in turn are aided in retainingthe cigar in position by the seam folder 96 which 05 still remainspartly underneath it. The movement of the rocker arm has moved the bandfolder finger 6'! forward. This movement causes the roller 10 to pressthe fabric tape 14 against the end of the band, forcing it upwardtightly against 7 the already folded wrapper, said upward pressure ofthe roller being obtained from the spring 68 which presses against thetongue 69. During this forward movement of the band folder finger theseam folder plate II! has been moved backward and drawn from between thefolded seam by means of the stop screws H8 hitting the back of the slotsl 20 in said plate I I1. When the finger has reached the limit of itsmovement as illustrated in Fig. 11, it immediately starts to recede withthe seam folder plate 96 following it until the parts take the positionshown in Fig. 1'7, the folder plates 81 and II! having moved backwardbeyond their normal positions to accommodate the folder 96. During theforward movement of the seam folded plate96, the beveled edge H6 whichforms the rear of the slot 91, came into contact with the band andforced it tightly upward against its other end which was placed inposition by the finger 61. This last folded end of the band is thegummed end which was moistened before the band was fed into position andthe pressure of the seam folder plate 96 securely seals the two ends ofthe band together. While this banding operation was taking place, theplunger 5 moved down to its normal position (Fig. 17) and the ejectorfinger I04 has been moved forward and down upon the top of'the wrappedand banded cigar. During this operation, the end folders 98, 98a, and 99and 99a have been brought together as illustrated in Fig. 18. Thesefolders press simultaneously against the top and bottom surfaces of theends of the folded and interlocked wrapper, and as they continue to movetoward one another, bringing these surfaces with them, the side surfacescollapse inwardly because the side plates 26 and as prevent them fromgoing outward. This makes what is known as a bellows fold which istightly squeezed together by the beveled edges of these end folders, thebeads and grooves of which pinch and score the wrapper. This pinchingand scoring causes the folded ends to spring inward toward the cigar asillustrated in Fig. 20, when the folders release them.

Referring to Fig. 19 it will be seen that the presser plunger l 2 andthe side plate 53 have been raised, a new wrapper and band have beenbrought into position, and another cigar has been moved into positionover the plunger 5. The presser plunger and side plate have been raisedto allow the ejector finger ltd and the seam folder plate 98 to removethe wrapped and banded cigar when they return to their normal positionsillustrated in Fig. 1, carrying the cigar with them. The presser plungeris raised by the slotted link 3i engaging the pin is of the bracket it,said link being actuated by the lever 82 and the push rod 33. The sideplate 38 has been raised by the movement of the lever 36.

When the completely wrapped and banded cigars move into the ejecterposition illustrated in Fig. 1, the reciprocating members are in araised position. They are then lowered and pulled toward the right, theprongs we gripping behind the cigars move them along until the lastejected cigar reaches the position of the previously ejected cigar.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I havedescribed my invention, but I desire it understood that it is notconfined to the particular form shown and described, the

same being merely illustrative, and that the invention can be carriedout in other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention, andtherefore, I claim broadly the right to employ all equivalentinstrumentalities coming within the scope of the'appended claims, and bymeans of which, objects of my invention are attained and new resultsaccomplished; as it is obvious that the particular embodiments hereinshown and described are only some of many that can be employed to attainthese objects and accomplish these results.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. In a cigar wrapping machine, means to apply a wrapper to the upperside of a cigar, means to elevate said cigar with the wrapper into astationary wrapping position, clamping means to hold the cigar with thelongitudinal edges of the wrapper depending from the sides of the cigar,in this position, means to complete the wrapping by folding a wrapperoverlappingly around the underside of said cigar, means to interlock theoverlap of the wrapper, means to fold and means to crease the free endsof said wrappenwhile the cigar is continuously held stationary duringthese various operations.

2. In a cigar wrapping machine, means to carry a cigar simultaneouslywith an adjacent wrapper into a wrapping position, said wrapper, havinga greater width than the circumference of the cigar, means to hold saidcigar stationary in this position, means cooperating with said holdingmeans to automatically fold the wrapper around the underside of thecigar and means to interlockingly fold the surplus width of said wrapperover the cigar in a longitudinal direction while the cigar does notchange its position throughout these consecutive folding operations.

3. In a wrapping machine, means to superimpose a wrapper of greaterwidth and length than the circumference and the length of the object tobe ,wrapped over said object, means to carry said object with thesuperimposed and laterally depending wrapper into a stationary wrappingposition, clamping means to hold it in said position, automatic means tofold the wrapper around the underside of the object and automatic meansto seal the surplus area of the wrapper over the surface of the objectby interlocking folds, all of said means adapted to act cooperatively onsaid wrapper on the object while the latter remains continuously in thesame position throughout these folding operations.

4. In a cigar wrapping and banding machine, means for elevating a cigarand simultaneously therewith folding a wrapper and a band against itssides and auxiliary means, mechanically and operably combined tointerlock the seam edges of the wrapper and seal the band across theedges while the cigar is in raised position and held stationary duringthe operations of said auxiliary means.

5. In a machine for wrapping an object while the same is held stationaryin one place while the wrapping operations are completed, means toconvey the object together with the adjacent wrapper into said place,means comprising a. pliable spring-actuated band, forming a permanentportion of the operating mechanism, fixedly held at a point, directlyadjacent to the object, and adapted to be folded around the wrapper as aguiding girdle, to fold a wrapper around said object and means to sealthe overlapping edges of the wrapper.

6. In a cigar wrapping and banding machine, adapted to apply a wrapperof regenerated cellu lose and a superimposed band to a cigar, while thelatter is held stationary, substantially during the entire wrapping andbanding operation, means, comprising apliable ribbon, resilientlyfastened at the ends, but fixedly in the middle where it adjoins theside of the article, and adapted to be folded around the wrapper andband as a guiding girdle, to fold said wrapper and band around thecigar, and means to close said wrapper and superimposed band.

7. In a cigar wrapping machine, automatic means to convey a rectangularwrapper to a cigar and deposit it on its upper side, means to elevatesaid cigar with the longitudinal wrapper edges depending from the sidesof the cigar into a stationary wrapping. position, self-centering means,cooperating with the elevating means, to sideshift the cigar with thewrapper during the rise into a central wrapping position, self-adjusting clamping means to hold the partly wrapped cigar in a stationaryposition, means to fold the wrapper across the underside of the cigar inthis position and means to interlockingly fold the free edges of thewrapper together while the cigar' is held continuously in the sameposition throughout these diflerent folding operations.

8. In a cigar machine of the character described means to elevate acigar with a superimposed wrapper into a stationary position whilesimultaneously folding the longitudinal wrapper .edges downwardly overthe sides of the cigar,

clamping means to hold the cigar stationariiy during-the followingoperations, and cooperative folding mechanisms for completing thewrapping a of the cigar, with auxiliary cooperative means forinterlocking the seam edges of the wrapper, said operations beingperformed at the same place by the, same combined mechanisms in varioussuccessive motions.

9. In a cigar machine of the character described means to elevate acigar with a superimposed wrapper and a band into a stationary positionwhile simultaneously folding the longitudinal wrapper edges and bandends downwardly over the sides of the cigar, clamping means to hold thecigar stationarily during the following operations and. cooperativefolding mechanisms for completing the wrapping and banding of the cigar,with auxiliary cooperative means for interlocking the seam edges of thewrapper, coordinated andmechanically combined means for overlapping theband ends across the wrapper seam, said wrapping and handing operationsbeing performedat the same place by the same combined mechanisms invarious successive motions.

FRANCIS X. MALOCSAY.

